The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Passenger car motor vehicles have for many decades featured movable side door glass. A mechanism is required in order to move the glass between the upper closed position and the lower opened position. These mechanisms are generally known as window regulators. Window regulators can be manually operated, or can be driven by a powered actuator, most commonly using an electric motor. One type of window regulator uses a pulley arrangement having a metal cable wrapped around pulleys and a drum driven by an electric motor. Such devices typically use a carrier which engages the door glass. The carrier may be driven along a metal guide rail by the metal cable. Specifically, the electric motor drives the drum, thereby moving the cable about the pulley arrangement and driving the carrier to control the vertical motion of the window glass.
Due to the packaging constrains of some vehicle door panels and other design constraints the electric motor and cable drum of a window regulator assembly may be located near the bottom of the guide rail. In such assemblies, the metal cable spans the length of the guide rail unsupported. To support and guide the metal cable spanning the length of the guide rail, some window regulator assemblies include a cable guide that may be attached to the guide rail. The cable guide is primarily provided to avoid undesirable noise resulting from vibration of the unsupported cable and to adjust the location of the cable to provide clearance with other door components. Conventional cable guides are typically attached to the guide rail at approximately its center using welding or TOX (interlocking metal deformation) joining. Such cable guides also require a bracket be placed between the guide rail and the cable guide.
Despite the satisfactory performance of conventional cable guides, there is constantly a desire to reduced cost, increase ease of assembly, and reduce the weight of automotive components, while providing a desirable durability, low warranty claims, and compliance with performance requirements.